More than twenty member municipalities had registered for this meeting in order to strengthen their cross-border ties and get to know the other Dutch and German municipalities better.
The day began at the former monastery ‘De Gouden Handen’, which houses the council chamber of the municipality of Montferland. Andreas Kochs, Chief Executive of the Euregio, and Mayor Anne-Marie Fellinger warmly welcomed everyone present to this special border municipality, which is also part of the fictional municipality of EMOJI, comprising the municipalities of Emmerich, Montferland and Oude IJsselstreek. This successful collaboration was explained by Tim Terhorst from the town of Emmerich. Heidi de Ruiter (Deputy Chief Executive) then presented the project proposal for the REBORN resilience project, and Marco Flipse (Coordinator of the GrenzInfoPunkt) unveiled a new information pack for Dutch nationals moving to Germany. The morning concluded with a speed-dating session, which sparked many lively discussions. After lunch, the programme continued with a guided tour of Huis Bergh, which has been fully restored and recently reopened. To round off the day, there was ample opportunity to chat with one another on the terrace in the castle gardens.
In short: a successful and varied day that will certainly contribute to enhanced Euregional cooperation.
